I must admit it’s pretty cool to be given a copy of one of your favourite band’s albums three months before release date, and even though it’s not out till March I reckon I’ll have clocked up 100 spins by then it’s that good! After the success of 2018’s “You Can’t Kill My Rock N’ Roll” it was always going to be hard to wait for the follow up especially as that damn pandemic stuck it’s nose in and delayed things further – making it a pandemic-enhanced gap of almost Def Leppard-like proportions between releases.
Down-under we’ve always had a great affection for the guys – Hardcore Superstar were one of the last bands a lot of Australian Rock fans saw when they played with Buckcherry just before we all locked down, so with things opening up soon it’s fitting that we get a new release and another promised visit. I must warn you all though this one is worth the two years of anticipation. Abracadabra is a monster of a record!
It sounds great too, with drummer Adde talking up working with producer Johan Reiven again and calling the new album ‘the record they should have released after the self Titled ‘black’ album’ in 2005. “Working with Johan was like stepping back in time, there’s a shared intensity and commitment to excel that collectively drives us and ultimately brings out the best in us all… I am 100% happy with the result”.
And you know what it has worked spectacularly well. Rock and Roll has always been about escapism and getting away from the day to day grind, and Abracadabra that well known arcane incantation does that (as if by magic) so well. This is a no-nonsense collection of memorable riffs, attitude and intensity that are transformed into killer songs. It’s also an album that pulls on years of making great music to end up with something that is certainly one of Hardcore Superstar’s finest hours.
These ten hard hitting songs start with the slow build and slap in the face of the title track that relishes the guitars in the intro and gallops into a deep groove even before the vocal cuts in. It’s a headbangers delight! ‘Influencer’ that follows is shorter and sharper with plenty of bite, and ‘Forever and a Day’ blows away any remaining cobwebs with a mid-tempo beat and sing-along chorus to get everyone in the house moving. And all this before ‘Weep When You Die’ crashes in with a searing guitar and groove and melody to die for.
The sticky centre of the album features two of my favourites – first the crunching, attitude dripping ‘Give Me a Smile’ and then the speed machine that is the thundering ‘Catch Me if You Can’ which may just be my favourite hear after playing the hell out of the album all month! But some might even argue that the best is yet to come with the “bar soaked philosophy” of ‘One For All’ – a real fist-pumper, or the defiant and distinctly metallic ‘Dreams In Red’ that really hits the spot.
We close out with the intensity of ‘Throw a Brick’ which soars as it’s driven by guitar and drums into a huge chorus; and the last word goes to ‘Fighter’ which much as you might think is going to take you out with a foot to the floor, instead picks up the acoustic. It’s a song lush with melody, full of spirit and not without bite. It’s a great way to round out a pretty flawless record. I can’t wait for you all to hear it!
The fans are going to love this and those unfortunate ones who haven’t heard Hardcore Superstar yet are going to realise what they’ve been missing. For those of us that have seen the band live where they are at the absolute best – this is an album I’d love to see played out Downunder sometime soon! Crack a beer and turn it up and pull the knobs off!
9/10
